The most influential US liberals: 40-21

The fourth instalment of Telegraph.co.uk's list of the liberals who most
influence American politics.

Telegraph.co.ukis presenting its second list of the 100 most influential conservatives and 100 most influential liberals in America a year after Barack Obama took the oath on the steps of the Capitol to become the 44th President of the United States.

Top conservatives: 100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-1Conservatives are people identifiably – though not always self-described – as right of centre.

Top liberals: 100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21 | 20-1Liberals are those identifiably left of centre, whether they identify themselves as such or not.

These are not lists that rank ideological purity – the number one liberal will not necessarily be any more liberal than number 100 – but they will inevitably discriminate against centrists, technocrats, independents and fence-sitters.

Oh dear. The garrulous former Senator who spent 36 years on Capitol Hill is in serious danger of becoming another Dan Quayle. The man who pulled out of the 1988 presidential race after he admitted plagiarising Neil Kinnock has long had a problem with his mouth. His 2008 presidential bid – always an improbable proposition – nearly ended right at the start when he described his future boss as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy”. Which was simply not the way to talk about a black politician in America. But Obama forgave him and, at a point in the campaign when he needed an older white male with foreign policy expertise to “balance” the Democratic ticket, eager Joe was waiting in the wings.

Their relationship on the campaign trail, however, was a difficult one as the cerebral, disciplined Obama became incensed by the garrulous Biden’s gaffes. This has continued in the White House with Obama responding to a question about yet another bewildering Biden statement by saying: “I don't know what Joe was referring to, not surprisingly". That prompted stifled sniggers from White House staffers at the back of the room and a miffed Biden then used his weekly lunch with the President to ask him not to "diss" him in public. On Afghanistan, Biden’s preferred option of "counter-terrorism plus" – targeting al-Qaeda elements at long range with military drones and smart missiles instead of increasing troop levels – was ignored. Obama judged that Biden, who opposed the Gulf war, backed the Iraq war and opposed the Iraq surge, had got it wrong again.

22. John Brennan (did not appear on the 2007 list)

Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism

Spent 25 years as a CIA officer, delivering the daily intelligence brief to Bill Clinton in 1994 and 1995 and later becoming station chief in Saudi Arabia and chief of staff to George Tenet, then CIA director. Was appointed the first head of the National Counterterrorism Centre – the new body at the centre of the controversy over missed intelligence about the Detroit bomber – but fell out with the Bush administration over his criticism of the Iraq war. Widely tipped to become Obama’s CIA director, he was blocked by the Left, which was suspicion of his connections to Bush-era policies regarding interrogation and rendition. Brennan withdrew himself from consideration, noting bitterly that he been “a strong opponent of many of the policies of the Bush administration, such as the pre-emptive war in Iraq and coercive intelligence tactics, to include waterboarding”.

If anything, however, his role is more important than that of CIA director. He was front and centre after the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack, being sent out to argue the Obama administration’s case on all the Sunday talk shows a week after disastrous performances by Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security chief. Dour, unflappable and steeped in a world that Obama has had little exposure to, he is likely to rise higher. Would be a natural successor to Napolitano or could become National Security Adviser or CIA chief.

23. Ben Bernanke (-)

Chairman of the US Federal Reserve

In a year or so, if the economy is giving the electorate cause for optimism, Bernanke could be even higher up this list. Already he is one of the most influential Fed chairmen in American history, having used every weapon in his armoury to stave off a collapse of the financial system in late 2008 and early 2009.

He is not short of critics. Some have argued he didn’t see the warning signs of the crisis, while he has been lambasted for allowing Lehmann Brothers to fail and for an excessive Wall Street bailout. Others complain about the Fed’s expanded power, which he has argued was unavoidable. His re-confirmation hearing had its uncomfortable moments, but his razor-sharp mind and calm, soft-spoken style saw him through. It was really a foregone conclusion. He had, after all, helped the economy through its worst experiences since the Great Depression, which he had spent most of his academic career studying.

24. Thomas Donilon (-)

Deputy National Security Adviser

Donilon is one of the most powerful people you have never heard of. A campaign veteran, he has worked for Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden but also held policy posts in the Clinton administration, when he helped negotiate the Bosnian peace agreement and visited more than 50 countries on official business. He was a lobbyist from 1999 through 2005 but that vilified occupation did not prevent him from becoming a key member of Obama’s transition team, when he vetted potential State Department officials.

Since then he has become one of the pivotal figures on the National Security Council, helping to formulate Obama's temporary surge of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. His brother Michael is a counselor to Vice President Biden, having worked for him since 1981. His wife is chief of staff to Jill Biden, the Second Lady. Donilon is especially important because of the softly-softly approach of his boss General Jim Jones. He plays a prominent role in presidential briefings as well as orchestrating the foreign policy machinery – which is unusually centred in the White House under Obama. Close to Rahm Emanuel, he is tipped to take over when Jones retires.

25. Michael Bloomberg (25)

Mayor of New York

Bloomberg had to have the law changed to enable him to challenge for – and win – a third term, but when you’re worth $16 billion anything seems possible. He decided to stick with the job he had after flirting heavily with entering the 2008 presidential race and then the battle for governor of New York.

The eighth-richest American, he had to spend $90 million to win by a reduced margin of four points in November, as voters were turned off by the rule change allowing him another term and the amount of money he was spending in a recession. Still, he remains popular. A lifelong Democrat he is the arch pragmatist, registering as Republican for his first two terms and Independent for his current one. Crime has continued to decline, the city is in surplus and he has worked hard on health and education. Never afraid to legislate on personal behaviour, he has banned smoking, trans fats and now salt content is in his sights.

Socially liberal but economically conservative, he is an easy fit for New York, and is likely remain a player on the national stage. Obama rates him.

26. Susan Rice (-)

US ambassador to the United Nations

One of Obama’s first appointments, she is part of the president’s foreign policy inner circle and, if there is a second term, is likely to go on to greater things. A native Washingtonian, her life and career have been marked by privilege and high achievement. Madeleine Albright is a family friend and she is married to a senior ABC journalist.

Attended Washington’s National Cathedral School, then Stanford and Oxford, before taking a job in Bill Clinton’s National Security Council and becoming assistant secretary of state for Africa at the tender age of 33. Served as an adviser to Democratic presidential candidates Michael Dukakis and John Kerry. Has strained relations with Hillary Clinton after the bruising 2008 presidential campaign.

The former wunderkind is now in her mid-40s and has fully justified the faith shown in her by two presidents. During Obama’s campaign she was an able foreign policy adviser and in office she has been typically forthright and clear spoken. With so much focus on Afghanistan, she has had little time in the limelight. But when Iran and sanctions move higher up the agenda, expect to see more of her. A potential future Secretary of State.

27. James Jones (-)

National Security Advisor

The vastly experienced and tactful Jones seemed the ideal candidate to lead the National Security Council. Indeed, Obama’s opponent John McCain might well have given Jones the same job. But Obama’s trendy young West Wingers quickly questioned his old-fashioned style and supposed reluctance to mix with the rest of the team. Beyond the White House confines, questions began to be asked if he was too calm a presence to maintain the proper focus among the array of heavy-hitters on the president’s foreign policy team.

Making sure that everyone does their job in implementing Obama’s Afghan policy will be the 64-year-old former Nato supreme commander’s number one priority. His understated nature makes him hard to judge, but he doesn’t seem to be in the same league as a Kissinger, Brzezinski or Scowcroft. This year will prove crucial in assessing his real worth to the President and critics suggest he may be an early departure.

28. Dick Durbin (92)

Senator for Illinois

Holds the second highest position in the Democratic Party’s senate leadership as well as arguably being Obama’s closest ally in Congress. The Illinois senator was the first to champion his young Senate colleague’s bid for the White House and helped win over super-delegates at a crucial stage of the primary when the Clintons were threatening to use their clout in Congress to subvert the wishes of elected delegates.

Courted controversy in 2004 when he compared interrogations at Guantanamo Bay to atrocities under the Nazis, Soviets and Pol Pot, leading to a tearful apology on the Senate floor. The row didn’t stop him from cruising to victory in 2008. A likely future Senate Majority Leader, he cannot be ruled out as a future vice-presidential candidate.

29. George Clooney (82)

Actor

A campaigning, bleeding heart Liberal in traditional Hollywood style, Clooney was among the first celebrity visitors to the White House, and went on serious business: Darfur. The United Nations Messenger of Peace has made the conflict in western Sudan his cause, and told the president of his visit to miserable refugee camps in Chad. He also asked the president for a special envoy to Sudan and soon enough General Scott Gration was appointed. Any connection is not clear.

An opponent of the Iraq war, which he said shows that “you can't beat your enemy anymore through wars; instead you create an entire generation of people seeking revenge”. Clooney has been encouraged to run for a Senate seat in his native Kentucky but responded: "No. I've slept with too many women, I've done too many drugs, and I've been to too many parties." Could well run for office one day

30. Jon Stewart (81)

Presenter, The Daily Show

A former stand-up comedian, Stewart blends his wry humour with the day's top news stories, often lampooning the hypocrisy and shallowness of politicians and mainstream journalists. The antithesis of the sombre and ponderous network anchors, many under 40s treat him as a primary news source and the Daily Show is a must-do for any politician or author. Stewart's programme attracts 1.8 million viewers a night compared to 1.2 million for CNN's highest-rated politics show. Unlike his acolyte Stephen Colbert, a former Daily Show reporter whose Colbert Report lampoons Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, Stewart's persona is pretty much his own. Sarcastic, caustic, intensely distrustful of politicians and the self-important mainstream media, viewers see him as a reality check on what's happened during the day.

Though unabashedly liberal, he is not afraid to give the Left a hard time. He has stopped short of mocking Barack Obama, but has lampooned adulation of the president as demonstrated in NBC’s gushing behind-the-White House-doors documentary. Brian Williams, he said, “clearly has the hots for the president”. Has turned turns his fire on Democrats, highlighting Hillary Clinton's "cackle" in a video montage and saying with mock seriousness when she dropped out of the White House race: "We've often heard the phrase 'all good things must come to an end.'"

31. Steny Hoyer

Congressman for Maryland and House Majority Leader

Hoyer has represented Maryland’s 5th Congressional district since 1981 making him the longest-serving Maryland representative in history. A moderate Democrat with fiscally conservative views, he has had testy relations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and was only elected House Majority Leader in 2007 after an openly hostile competition with the ethically-challenged John Murtha, who was Pelosi’s pick

Criticised by liberal Democrats for his support of the Iraq War, Hoyer nonetheless has a long track record of leadership for the Democratic agenda that includes the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of disability. He was also a strict and demanding Minority Whip, taking Democrats to task when they voted against the party even on procedural matters. Played an important role in marshalling Democrats to back the House healthcare bill. An outside bet to succeed Pelosi, who shows no signs of wanting to move.

32. Paul Krugman

Nobel Laureate, Economics professorand columnist

Hailed as Obama’s toughest liberal critic, Nobel Laureate and Princeton professor Paul Krugman through his New York Times column and blog, Conscience of a Liberal, has consistently conveyed deep scepticism and pessimism about the government bailout efforts and the economy. He also has shown no qualms about essentially labeling Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and other Obama officials as innocent pawns who are suffering from overexposure to Wall Street types which has consequently affected their decision-making.

The son of Russian Jewish immigrants to the U.S., Krugman, 56, was recruited to Princeton by now Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. He had already taught at Yale, MIT, UC- Berkeley, the London School of Economics, and Stanford. About Obama he has said, “It's as if the president were determined to confirm the growing perception that he and his economic team are out of touch, that their economic vision is clouded by excessively close ties to Wall Street."

33. Chuck Shumer (28)

Senator

The Senior US Senator for New York was on the surface a loyal supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primary contest. It emerged last week, however, that he had privately urged Obama to run, believing his New York colleague was too polarising a figure to win a general election. While this Machiavellian manoeuvre may have shown impeccable political judgement, it showed a ruthless and untrustworthy streak that many Democrats find unbecoming.

But as the number three Democrat in the Senate he is a powerful figure. He masterminded the unlikely Democratic takeover of the Senate in 2006 by choosing candidates who could win in their states even if they bucked the party orthodoxy. His love of the limelight once prompted Senator Bob Dole to quip that "the most dangerous place in Washington is between Charles Schumer and a television camera". There’s no doubt that he views himself as the first Jewish US president but New York governor is a more likely outcome.

34. Henry Waxman

California congressman

One of the House’s most influential members, he grew up in the down-and-out Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles and has represented his hometown in the U.S. Congress for 34 years. California’s 30th district, which includes Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Malibu, is more affluent than average and Waxman remains known for his Left-leaning stances, particularly on the environment and universal health care.

Long a force to be reckoned with - especially by the Bush White House - as ranking minority member and then chairman of the powerful House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Waxman toppled Congressman John Dingell last year to take over the top spot at the Energy and Commerce Committee, whose territory covers climate change, oversight of energy, trade, telecommunications, Medicare and Medicaid and consumer protections. The 70-year-old chairman has strongly allied himself with the Obama agenda, noting “I think we need new leadership in the committee in order to move a very active agenda being proposed by the Obama administration.”

35. Michele Flournoy

Tipped by some insiders as a possible successor to Bob Gates, the Pentagon chief. She may have supported Hillary Clinton in the Presidential primary, but this 48- year-old research professor became a trusted Obama transition advisor before being appointed Under-secretary of Defence for Policy. Helped found the Center for a New American Security with Kurt Campbell, a fellow Pentagon aid during the Clinton years. Was an early voice arguing last year that some Guantanamo inmates would have to be moved to the United States for there to be any chance that European allies would accept some of the detainees.

She first made her mark at the Pentagon as President Clinton’s deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and threat reduction. A strong advocate of overhauling the federal government’s handling of security, she lectured Congress in 2005 that the United States still does not have an effective inter-agency work system. That lesson was brought home on Christmas Day 2009 when it was revealed that multiple security agencies weren’t able to put the pieces of the puzzle together to keep 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab off a potentially deadly flight to Detroit.

36. John Podesta (11)

President, Center for American Progress

Thirty years of political work in Washington have brought 60-year-old John Podesta to what might be his crowning achievement. As President of the Center for American Progress, the city’s go-to liberal think tank which he founded, Podesta has brought the progressive movement back to life. And Obama has relied heavily on Podesta’s know-how in the liberal arena, appointing him co-chair of his transition team and turning to him for many of his key personnel.

Podesta has long played in the Capital City’s big leagues, acting as Clinton White House chief of staff and working closely with the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Patrick Leahy and former Senator Tom Daschle. Such is Podesta’s network and influence that he was able to form a Democratic shadow government during the Bush years and lure Obama influencers to his think tank.

37. Richard Holbrooke (-)

Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan

Even in a city of towering egos, Richard Holbrooke is one of the few politicians who employ a personal archivist. His boss Hillary Clinton once joked that Holbrooke was the only person she knew who would look over her husband’s shoulder as he was talking to him to see if there was anyone more important he could meet. The former Clinton-era ambassador to Germany and then the United Nations and the man who probably would have been Secretary of State in a Gore administration in 2001 is not known for shyness or self-deprecation. But a lesser man would have found his first year in the Obama administration somewhat chastening as he became a marginal figure as the President’s Afghanistan policy was decided.

He has served every Democratic president since John F. Kennedy and is best known for brokering a peace agreement among the warring factions in Bosnia that led to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. But his hard-charging style has not brought people together in Afghanistan. His relations with Hamid Karzai are said to be so poisonous that the Afghan president tried to bar him from the country. Things started to go wrong for Holbrooke when New Delhi blocked him from being responsible for India and the White House blocked him from being responsible for Iran. He is not close to Obama and, at 68, is now unlikely to be Secretary of State, the job he is said to have believed to be his right since he entered the Foreign Service in 1962. But some believe the veteran diplomat’s finest hour could be yet to come as the Obama administration wrestles to prevent Afghanistan becoming another Vietnam.

38. Andy Stern

Union leader

As the president of the Service Employees International Union, Stern leads more than two million workers including bus drivers, janitors and nurses. The largest and fastest-growing union in North America, it has more than doubled in size during his 14-year presidency. It was a surprise to some that he was the White House’s most frequent visitor during the initial months, visiting 22 times between Inauguration Day and the end of July, seeing Obama himself on seven occasions.

Stern has already led his union out of an alliance with the AFL-CIO, based on his belief that the labor movement must take a completely different tack for a 21st Century economy and a globalising world. Opinion is divided about whether he did the right thing. In 2006, the Washington Post wrote: “History one day will record Stern as the impetuous, power-hungry man who accelerated the decline of the American union movement...Or, his supporters say, Stern will go down in history as the courageous, visionary leader who charted a bold new course for American unionism just in time and helped spark a labor movement to fight for workers in the world economy."

Healthcare reform is currently at the top of his agenda. Both the SEIU and the AFL-CIO refused to endorse the Senate health care bill when the “public option” of government insurance was dropped. Expressing dismay with the Senate, Stern said, “It is time for the Senate to send this bill on to conference where the real work needs to be done.” And for Stern, that “real work” is getting the public option back in the bill.

39. Leon Panetta (73)

CIA director

Although he had no direct experience of the intelligence world, Panetta is an accomplished manager who has proved to be a safe pair of hands at the CIA during a difficult time. The consummate Washington insider and a former Republican, Panetta was a California congressman before winning plaudits as the chief of staff who imposed a degree of organisation on the chaotic Clinton White House when Bill Clinton brought him in as chief of staff. Michael Hayden, Bush’s third CIA director, had lobbied hard to be kept on and John Brennan was Obama’s first choice for CIA but even Panetta’s critics have praised the job he has done. Leaves many of the tough intelligence calls to his deputy Steven Kappes, who has had an illustrious career in clandestine operations.

Panetta won a bureaucratic turf battle with his boss Admiral Dennis Blair, Director of National Security, over whether non-CIA officers could be intelligence station chiefs. He opposed Obama’s decision to release declassified Bush era memos about enhanced interrogation and has worked hard to bolster flagging morale at the Agency. His toughest moment was when he travelled to Dover Air Force base recently as seven CIA personnel killed in Afghanistan were flown home. Close to John Podesta and Senator Chuck Schumer, he has many friends across government.

40. Valerie Jarrett (-)

Jarrett is so close to Obama that he refers to her as a “like a sibling to me”. Has known the Obama since 1991 when a young lawyer called Michelle Robinson walked into the then Chicago mayor’s aide’s office to ask for a job. Since then, Jarrett has been in on every major decision the Obamas have made. He has described her as the ultimate “utility player” and said: “I trust her completely.” A lawyer and real estate practitioner, the cynics say that Jarrett is the “First Friend” only through happenstance and has limited ability. There were cries of cronyism when Team Obama tried to slide her into his old Senate seat.

An uncertain television performer, Jarrett was much ridiculed for stating when confronted about the Obama administration’s campaign against Fox News that “what the administration has said very clearly is that we’re going to speak truth to power”. A divorcee who spent part of her childhood in Iran, she lives in the same Georgetown apartment complex as her close Chicago friends Desiree Rogers, the White House social secretary, and Susan Sher, the First Lady’s chief of staff. Aides describe the softly spoken Jarrett as the glue that holds the First Couple together amid their busy schedules. If an adviser wonders how Mrs Obama will take a change of plan, they ask Jarrett. If Mrs Obama thinks Barack is working too hard, a word in Jarrett’s ear is all that’s needed for his schedule to be cleared.